Ice-making assembly of refrigerator

ABSTRACT

Provided is an ice-making assembly of a refrigerator. A tray is removable from a frame to improve cleaning of the tray.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an ice-making assembly of arefrigerator.

BACKGROUND ART

Refrigerators are electric home appliances, which are used for storingfoods at low temperatures close to or below zero degrees Celsiusaccording to the kinds and states of the foods.

Particularly, an ice-making assembly for making ice is installed in therefrigerator. In general, the ice-making assembly is installed to arefrigerator compartment or an inner surface of a refrigeratorcompartment door, or may be installed to a freezer compartment or aninner surface of a freezer compartment door according to the kinds ofproducts.

The related art ice-making assembly includes an ice-making trayfunctioning as a mold for making ice, a water tank for supplying waterto the ice-making tray, and an ice bank for storing ice made in theice-making tray. In general, the water tank and the ice bank areremovably coupled to the ice-making assembly, but the ice-making tray isfixed to the ice-making assembly.

This configuration makes it difficult to clean the ice-making tray.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical Problem

Embodiments provide an ice-making assembly adapted to removably couplean ice-making tray thereto.

Embodiments also provide an ice-making assembly adapted such that aspace receiving the ice-making tray is selectively open to improvecleaning and maintaining of the ice-making tray.

Technical Solution

In one embodiment, an ice-making assembly of a refrigerator includes: atray provided with a recess region for making ice; a frame receiving thetray and supporting both side ends of the tray; an ice bank on a lowerside of the tray, the ice bank storing the ice made at the tray, the icefalling to the ice bank; a gear assembly at a side surface of the frame,the gear assembly rotating the tray; and a lever providing torque to thegear assembly to rotate the tray, wherein the tray is coupled to theframe such that the tray is slidingly withdrawable.

In another embodiment, an ice-making assembly of a refrigeratorincludes: a plurality of vertically arranged trays provided with arecess region for making ice; a frame receiving the trays and supportingboth side ends of the respective trays; an ice bank on a lower side ofthe tray, the ice bank storing the ice made at the tray, the ice fallingto the ice bank; and a gear assembly at a side surface of the frame, thegear assembly rotating the tray, wherein the trays are removably storedin the frame, and a coupling rib, receiving a rotation shaft of the gearassembly, protrudes from a side surface of each of the trays.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent fromthe description and drawings, and from the claims.

Advantageous Effects

According to the embodiments, the ice-making assembly for arefrigerator, configured as described above, is adapted such that thetray, where ice is made, is selectively removed, so that the tray iseasily removed when the tray is required to be cleaned.

Also, to clean the tray and the inner space of the ice-making assembly,the tray is just withdrawn with the tray door opened, without entirelydisassembling the ice-making assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view illustrating an ice-making assemblyfor a refrigerator, which is installed to a door of the refrigerator,according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an ice-making assembly for arefrigerator according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an ice-making device formingan ice-making assembly according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an ice-making deviceforming an ice-making assembly for a refrigerator according to anembodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I of FIG. 3.

MODE FOR THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view illustrating an ice-making assembly10 for a refrigerator, which is installed to a refrigerator door 5,according to one embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, the ice-making assembly 10 is coupled to an insideof the refrigerator door 5. The refrigerator door 5 may be a freezercompartment door or a refrigerator compartment door.

Particularly, the ice-making assembly 10 includes an outer case 11, anice-making device 100 stored in the outer case 11, an ice bank 200provided on a lower side of the ice-making device 100 to store ice madein the ice-making device 100, and a water storage 300 provided on anupper side of the ice-making device 100 to store water to be supplied tothe ice-making device 100. The water storage 300 and the ice bank 200are coupled to the ice-making assembly 10 such that the water storage300 and the ice bank 200 are slidingly withdrawable.

Operation of the ice-making assembly 10 configured as described abovewill now be described.

To get ice, the water storage 300 is filled with water. In this state,the water storage 300 is coupled to the ice-making assembly 10. Then,the water stored in the water storage 300 is supplied through apredetermined passage to the ice-making device 100.

Then, the water supplied to the ice-making device 100 is frozen bychilly air supplied into the ice-making device 100. When the ice hasbeen frozen in the ice-making device 100, the ice is removed from theice-making device 100 and stored in the ice bank 200. The ice is takenout by removing the ice bank 200 from the ice-making assembly 10.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an ice-making assembly for arefrigerator according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective viewillustrating the ice-making device 100 forming the ice-making assemblyaccording to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective viewillustrating the ice-making device 100 forming the ice-making assemblyfor a refrigerator according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is across-sectional view taken along line I-I of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, the ice-making device 100 includes trays 110where ice is made, a frame 150 receiving the trays 110, a lever 120rotating the trays 110, and a gear assembly coupled to an end of thetray 110 to transmit torque of the lever 120. The trays 110 areselectively withdrawn from or inserted into the frame 150.

Particularly, the trays 110 include an upper tray 112 and a lower tray114, and the trays 110 are rotatably coupled to an inside of the frame150.

A rotation shaft 115, rotatably coupled to the frame 150, protrudes froma side surface of each tray 110, and a coupling rib 116, illustrated inFIG. 4, coupling with the gear assembly 130 protrudes from another sidesurface of the tray 110. The coupling rib 116 is bent a plurality oftimes to form an open side, and is coupled to a shaft of the gearassembly 130 when the tray 110 is installed to the frame 150.

Also, when the upper tray 112 rotates, to prevent ice removed from theupper tray 112 from falling to the lower tray 114, the rotation shaft115 of the lower tray 114 is coupled to the frame 150 at a positionspaced a predetermined distance backward from the rotation shaft 115 ofthe upper tray 112.

The trays 110 are coupled to the gear assembly 130 and then rotated bythe torque generated at the lever 120. The trays 110 rotate in arotation direction of the lever 120.

The lever 120 is rotatably coupled to a side surface of the frame 150,and particularly, to a right surface of the frame 150, and thus providesthe torque to the gear assembly 130. It will be appreciated that thelever 120 may be provided to a left surface of the frame 150.

The gear assembly 130 includes a driving gear 131 integrally connectedto the lever 120, a connection gear rotatably engaging with the drivinggear 131, and driven gears rotatably engaging with the connection gearand coupling with the coupling ribs 116 of the trays 110. The gearassembly 130 is covered against the outside by a side cover 153.

The connection gear includes an upper connection gear 133 engaging withthe driving gear 131, and a lower connection gear 134 operatingintegrally with the upper connection gear 133. The driven gears includean upper driven gear 136 engaging with the lower connection gear 134 atone position of the lower connection gear 134 and rotating the uppertray 112, and a lower driven gear 137 engaging with the lower connectiongear 134 at another position of the lower connection gear 134 androtating the lower tray 114.

The connection gears 133 and 134, and the driven gears 136 and 137,configured as described above, are rotatably coupled to the side surfaceof the frame 150. Ends of the driven gears 136 and 137 pass throughdriven gear holes 151 and 152 provided to the side surface of the frame150 and are coupled to the trays 110, respectively.

Thus, shafts 139 of the driven gears 136 and 137 are fitted into thecoupling ribs 116 of the trays 110, respectively. In other words, whenthe trays 110 are horizontally inserted into the frame 150, the shafts139 are fitted into the coupling ribs 116, so that torque of the drivengears 136 and 137 is transmitted to the trays 110. The shafts 139 have anon-circular cross section, so that the trays 110 and the driven gears136 and 137 integrally rotate.

It will be appreciated that the coupling ribs 116 may be provided to thedriven gears 136 and 137, and the shafts 139 may be provided to thetrays 110.

When the lever 120 is pulled downward, the driving gear 131 rotates, andthen the connection gears 133 and 134 engaging with the driving gear 131rotate in an opposite direction to a rotation direction of the drivinggear 131. Then, according to the rotating of the connection gears 133and 134, the lower connection gear 134 rotates the driven gears 136 and137 in the rotation direction of the driving gear 131. Then, one sidesurface of the frame 150, and particularly, an inner surface, oppositeto the surface provided with the gear assembly 130, is provided with arotation-limiting member limiting the rotating of the trays 110. Therotation-limiting member may be a protrusion. Particularly, the trays110 are rotated a predetermined angle by the rotation-limiting member,and then twisted. Through the twisting of the trays 110, ice made in thetray 110 is released and falls to the ice bank 200.

Inner side surface of the frame 150, and particularly, an oppositesurface to the surface provided with the gear assembly 130, is providedwith shaft insertion holes into which the rotation shafts 115 of thetrays 110 are inserted. The shaft insertion holes include an upper shaftinsertion hole 156 into which the rotation shaft 115 of the upper tray112 is inserted, and a lower shaft insertion hole 157 into which therotation shaft 115 of the lower tray 114 is inserted. The lower shaftinsertion hole 157 is disposed on a lower rear side of the upper shaftinsertion hole 156 to prevent ice, separated from the upper tray 112,from falling to the lower tray 114.

Tray guides are recessed to a predetermined depth in the side surface ofthe frame 150 provided with the shaft insertion holes 156 and 157.Particularly, the tray guides have lengths ranging from a front end ofthe inner surface of the frame 150 to the shaft insertion holes 156 and157. The tray guides include an upper tray guide 154 guiding movement ofthe rotation shaft 115 of the upper tray 112, and a lower tray guide 155guiding movement of the rotation shaft 115 of the lower tray 110. Thetray guides 154 and 155 may extend for a width greater than an outerdiameter of the rotation shaft 115, and the width may decrease from thefront end of the side surfaces of the frame 150 toward the shaftinsertion holes 156 and 157. Accordingly, a great assembly tolerance inan initial position for installing the trays 110 improves assemblingthereof, but finally, the rotation shafts 115 of the trays 110 areaccurately inserted into the shaft insertion holes 156 and 157. Thus,when the trays 110 are installed to the frame 150, the trays 110 areaccurately coupled to the frame 150 without an effort for maintaininghigh accuracy.

Catch protrusions 158 are provided to connections between the shaftinsertion holes 156 and 157 and the tray guides 154 and 155,respectively. Upsides of the shaft insertion holes 156 and 157 areprovided with catch ribs 170, and the catch ribs 170 are bent at leastone time. Particularly, a bent portion 171 of each catch rib 170 isdisposed vertically over the catch protrusion 158. A distance betweenthe bent portion 171 and the catch protrusion 158 is designed to besmaller than the diameter of the rotation shaft 115. The catch ribs 170are designed to have a predetermined elastic force.

According to this configuration, when the trays 110 are inserted intothe frame 150, the rotation shafts 115 are guided rearward along thetray guides 154 and 155. Also, since the connections between the trayguides 154 and 155 and the shaft insertion holes 156 and 157, that is,inlets of the shaft insertion holes 156 and 157 decrease in width, apredetermined force is required to push the trays 110. Then, the catchrib 170 is slightly bent upward to increase the width of the inlet, andat the same time, the rotation shaft 115 is placed on the shaftinsertion hole 156. When the rotation shaft 115 is placed on the shaftinsertion hole 156, the catch rib 170 returns to its original state todecrease the inlet's width again. Thus, the rotation shaft 115 isprevented from being removed out of the upper shaft insertion hole 156while the tray 110 rotates.

A tray door 160 is rotatably coupled to an open front surface of theframe 150. The tray door 160 is coupled to hinge-coupling parts 159,disposed in upper and lower ends of the front surface of the frame 150,so as to selectively cover the front surface of the frame 150. Thus,while ice removed from the trays 110 falls to the ice bank 200, the iceis prevented from scattering out of the ice-making assembly 10. The traydoor 160 is provided with chilly air introduction holes 162 to supplychilly air to the ice-making device 100.

Hereinafter, operation of the ice-making device 100 configured asdescribed above will now be described.

To clean an inner space of the ice-making device 100 and the trays 110,the tray door 160 is opened and the trays 110 are withdrawn.Particularly, when the trays 110 are pulled forward, the rotation shafts115 pass by the inlets defined by the catch protrusions 158 and the bentportions 171 of the catch ribs 170 and then go out of the shaftinsertion hole 156 and 157. At the same time, the shafts 139 are removedfrom the coupling ribs 116, and the trays 110 slide along the trayguides 154 and 155 and are withdrawn forward.

After that, the trays 110 and the inner space of the frame 150 arecleaned and installed to the frame 150. An install process of the trays110 is reverse to the removal process.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerousother modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled inthe art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles ofthis disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modificationsare possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subjectcombination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawingsand the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications inthe component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also beapparent to those skilled in the art.

1. An ice-making assembly of a refrigerator, the assembly comprising: atray provided with a recess region for making ice; a frame receiving thetray and supporting both side ends of the tray; an ice bank on a lowerside of the tray, the ice bank storing the ice made at the tray, the icefalling to the ice bank; a gear assembly at a side surface of the frame,the gear assembly rotating the tray; and a lever providing torque to thegear assembly to rotate the tray, wherein the tray is coupled to theframe such that the tray is slidingly withdrawable.
 2. The ice-makingassembly according to claim 1, wherein a rotation shaft protrudes from aside surface of the tray, and an inner side surface of the frame isprovided with a guide guiding movement of the rotation shaft, and ashaft insertion hole into which the rotation shaft is inserted.
 3. Theice-making assembly according to claim 2, wherein the guide is recessedwith a length ranging from a front end of the frame to the shaftinsertion hole, and the guide decreases in width toward the shaftinsertion hole.
 4. The ice-making assembly according to claim 2, whereina width of an inlet of a connection between the guide and the shaftinsertion hole is less than a diameter of the rotation shaft.
 5. Theice-making assembly according to claim 2, wherein a catch protrusion isprovided to a connection between the guide and the shaft insertion hole.6. The ice-making assembly according to claim 5, wherein the inner sidesurface of the frame is provided with a catch rib defining a portion ofthe shaft insertion hole, and the catch rib is provided with a bentportion bent toward the catch protrusion.
 7. The ice-making assemblyaccording to claim 6, wherein when the rotation shaft passes by thecatch protrusion, the catch rib is elastically deformed.
 8. Theice-making assembly according to claim 1, wherein a front surface of theframe is open, and a tray door is rotatably coupled to a front end ofthe frame.
 9. An ice-making assembly of a refrigerator, the assemblycomprising: a plurality of vertically arranged trays provided with arecess region for making ice; a frame receiving the trays and supportingboth side ends of the respective trays; an ice bank on a lower side ofthe tray, the ice bank storing the ice made at the tray, the ice fallingto the ice bank; and a gear assembly at a side surface of the frame, thegear assembly rotating the tray, wherein the trays are removably storedin the frame, and a coupling rib, receiving a rotation shaft of the gearassembly, protrudes from a side surface of each of the trays.
 10. Theice-making assembly according to claim 9, wherein the coupling ribdefines an opening into which the rotation shaft is fitted, and the gearassembly and the tray integrally rotate in a state where the couplingrib has received the rotation shaft.
 11. The ice-making assemblyaccording to claim 9, wherein the gear assembly comprises: a drivinggear coupled to an end of a lever; a connection gear engaging with thedriving gear; and driven gears engaging with the connection gear andrespectively coupled to the trays through a shaft member.
 12. Theice-making assembly according to claim 11, wherein the coupling ribsselectively receive rotation shafts of the driven gears to respectivelytransmit torque of the driving gear to the trays.
 13. The ice-makingassembly according to claim 11, wherein the gear assembly rotates thetrays in a same direction.
 14. The ice-making assembly according toclaim 11, wherein a rotation shaft of the driven gear has a non-circularcross section.
 15. The ice-making assembly according to claim 11,wherein the connection gear comprises: an upper connection gear engagingwith the driving gear; and a lower connection gear engaging with thedriven gear and integrally provided with the upper connection gear. 16.The ice-making assembly according to claim 9, further comprising a covercovering the gear assembly.
 17. The ice-making assembly according toclaim 9, wherein a rotation shaft of one of the trays, provided on alower side, is horizontally spaced from a rotation shaft of another ofthe trays, provided on an upper side.
 18. The ice-making assemblyaccording to claim 9, wherein a rotation shaft of one of the trays,provided on a lower side, is spaced a predetermined distance rearwardfrom a rotation shaft of another of the trays, provided on an upperside.